Ep 37: Generations Rising for Gun Safety with Gloria Pan

Hello and welcome to this special episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast which I’m releasing just days before the March for our Lives. On March 24, 2018 the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC, and around the country, to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.

To help light the way, I reached out to Gloria Pan, who currently serves as the National Campaign Director for Gun Safety for the grassroots advocacy organization MomsRising. A public interest advocate and Internet communications strategist, Gloria also leads the organization’s member engagement, rapid response and mobile actions initiatives, as well as the #KeepMarching project.

In our conversation, Gloria shares about her upbringing in an Asian-American immigrant family, the impact of her mother’s experience working in the UN during the Women’s Movement, and whether the idea of living an E.P.I.C. life is relevant for MomsRising mothers, many of whom are struggling to meet basic needs. We delve into the E.P.I.C. guideposts from the lens of gun safety advocacy, explore the ways in which we can broaden our lens to make that advocacy intersectional, and Gloria gives us specific actionable challenges to get involved and make a difference.

One of the most impactful moments of the interview for me happened when we talked about the young people of Parkland, and Gloria shared her unwavering belief that those young people would use their privilege to shine a light on their peers who’ve been organizing for the Black Lives Matter Movement, for gun safety in their communities of color, disproportionately and daily impacted by gun violence.

The moment brought me to tears, because I really believed her…and sure enough in the days since that interview, those young people have been joining with students of color in Chicago and other urban areas, making their advocacy platform intersectional and building bridges where adults have failed to do so.

In a recent article, Cameron Kasky, one of the Parkland student leaders said “We have to represent those who unfortunately were ignored.This is not just about us. … When we’re together marching, this is not going to be different races, different generations ― this is going to be a unified people standing together against those who are trying to ignore us.”

I’ll be standing for all of that on Saturday at the March for our Lives and as I move through the advocacy challenges thoughtfully shared by Gloria and MomsRising in the days afterward. I hope you’ll join me.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

How the MomsRising members frequently attend rallies, hearings and meetings with law-makers and bring their children along

An honest exploration of whether living an E.P.I.C. is culturally relevant for families working to meet their basic needs

The power of using social media platforms as a tool for exploring issues with people of differing political opinions.

Our responsibility to step into activism to support communities under siege under this administration

Audrey Lorde’s famous quote that “there is no such thing as a single issue struggle” and how MomsRising pursues an intersectional multi-issue advocacy agenda

How the Parkland students, so “clear-eyed” as Gloria says, are galvanizing support for gun safety and using their privilege to shine a lot on the impact of gun violence in communities of color

The policy prescription for gun violence prevention in an intersectional way

Gloria’s E.P.I.C. snapshot moment where MomsRising galvanized mothers, through a storybook campaign, to successfully fight against an Open Carry Law in Florida that would have allowed people to carry guns at Disney World.

Gloria’s challenge to our community to help MomsRising fight gun violence on three fronts

This is the first of a series of episodes I’m recording for the second season of the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative. If you’re a podcaster and would like to join the Initiative and contribute an episode on the subject of Gun Safety, please visit www.womenpodcastersinsolidarity.com to join.

Announcements:

Virtual Mother’s Quest Circle Pilot

I’m excited to announce that the first founding Mother’s Quest Virtual Circle has been filled. If you’re interested in a future circle, and want to receive notice when the applications open again, please add your name to this wait list. julie@mothersquest.com

Mother’s Quest E.P.I.C. Life Check-In

Would love to have you in our weekly E.P.I.C. Life Check-In on Tuesday, from 12N-1PM pm via Video on Zoom

We’ll create connections within the Mother’s Quest community, reflect on how we feel along the E.P.I.C. Guideposts this week, and set an intention for the week.

Time for personal introspection, group accountability and community-building all packed into one hour. Are you In? Join the Mother’s Quest Community to RSVP and find the zoom link to join. www.mothersquest.com/community

Help us Grow the Mother’s Quest Community

If you’re finding value from the Mother’s Quest Podcast and would like to get more involved, please join us in the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group, help us find more like-minded mothers on a quest by spreading the word and sharing your favorite episodes, and make a donation or apply to dedicate an episode. You can also share your story on the Mother’s Quest Blog.

Acknowledgements:

A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support:

Sage B. Hobbs

Samantha Nolan-Smith

Jody Smith

Emily Cretella of MotherHustle

Collette Flanagan, founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality

Titilayo Tinubu Ali of Own Your Expertise

Carly Magnus Hurt

Lizzy Russinko of This (Un)Scripted Life

Suzanne Brown, author of Mompowerment

Mara Berns Langer

Mallory Schlabach of Marketing Magic for Entrepreneurs

Katharine Earhart of Alesco Advisors

Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts

Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner

Genese Harris

Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party

Liane Louie-Badua

Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast

Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go

Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions

Erik Newton of The Together Show

Claire Fry

Divya Silbermann

Rachel Winter

Caren and Debbie Lieberman

Cameron Miranda

Fran and David Lieberman

Debbie and Alan Goore

Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast

Support the Podcast

If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Three of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution.

If you would like to “dedicate” an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com

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Mother’s Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life.

Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C).